Christian 'Chip' Ponsford

About me

I am focused on offering a counselling relationship in which it feels increasingly safe to talk, to explore things which you might not be able to talk about elsewhere.

I have over eight years' experience of working succesfully with a great range of people including:

• People in suicidal crisis at The Maytree in London, • Survivors of torture at The Refugee Therapy Centre in London• Men who’ve served long prison sentences at Katherine Price Hughes House in London• People suffering with long term ‘complex mental health’ issues at Islington MIND• 11 - 25 year olds at OffCentre in East London• With groups including my 'Ecotherapy group for men suffering with depression'• Individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, anger issues… in fact with as many ‘issues’ as I have individuals, since no two peoples’ experiences are the same.

I have worked with groups, couples, families, families with adopted children, young people; distressed people of all sorts.

• We explore together - I work hard to earn the trust to be your companion in this exploration

• I will be real and open with you

• I believe you have enormous capacity to grow towards your potential

How I work

I am committed to being open and transparent with you and to understand as accurately as I can how life is for you.

By you exploring and describing your experience to me and by me listening very attentively and uncritically to the whole of your experience, you can start to find clarity for yourself. I will check my understanding of what you are saying (I won't just smile and nod) Essentially what I do as I listen is to say "do you mean this?" In this way you can make things clearer for yourself by having made them clearer to me. The lack of judgement in our exploration is what can make it very freeing for you.

Why Person-centred?

I am passionate about the person-centred approach because I believe it is most respectful of your expertise about your own life. It fits with my own philosophy and experience that people have an enormous capacity for self-healing and growth if they can access that capacity in a trustworthy environment.

Why am I a counsellor?

Because I have benefited enormously from counselling and I want to offer the same chance to others. This is my way of trying to make the world a better place – one person at a time!

Where have I worked?

Ecotherapy group for men suffering with depression

I recently set up and co-facilitated this group in woodland near Hexham. It was a great success and I am now in the process of setting up a charity in order to continue this ecotherapy work.

The Refugee Therapy Centre, Finsbury Park, London

Working with people from around the world who have experienced severe trauma including torture and war.

Off Centre, Hackney, London

Working with 11 - 25 year olds

Katherine Price Hughes House, London

I was a key-worker at Katherine Price Hughes House with men serving sentences for serious offences. Such people are often judged or written off for some of their actions and seemed to benefit from a trustworthy relationship in which to explore their lives.

Highbury Counselling Centre

I worked at Highbury Counselling Centre with clients who represented the cultural and ethnic diversity and the material inequality of north London. These clients brought a great many different areas of counselling to work with.

Islington MIND

I have worked at Islington MIND with previously hospitalised people with long-term mental distress such as that which can be caused by childhood sexual, physical and psychological abuse.

The Maytree

I volunteered as a 'befreinder' at ‘The Maytree’ a short-term residential ‘sanctuary for the suicidal' with people who are actively considering suicide but need somewhere to talk through their thoughts and feelings. I found that listening properly and attentively to these people, and simply spending time with them rather than a more common response of persuading them not to commit suicide, helped them explore and find their own way.

Training, qualifications & experience

I have a Diploma (level 4) and Certificate (level 3) in Person-Centred Therapeutic Counselling.

I trained in Couples counselling wit Counselling Works in 2017

I am currently training as a clinical supervisor with jenny Biancardi in Newcastle